Adwords is an effective way to turn your online sales funnel on. Immediately. And you can measure it. But it’ll cost you. The dollars spent on Adwords depends upon your keyword competition and your budgetary limit. With Google’s recent changes in their Brand Activate Initiative and Active View, we wanted to share our thoughts on managing search engine marketing (also known as pay-per-click) efforts.
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Don’t Set It & Forget It
If you think you can set up your Adwords campaigns, write a few ads, establish a monthly budget and cross it off your to-do list… guess again. If you aren’t willing to spend dedicated time each month (at the very least), your marketing dollars would be better spent elsewhere. There are nuances to Adwords; it takes time to learn how to craft ads that contain appropriate keywords and tantalizing calls to action. Google will provide a rating for your ad; don’t waste time with anything below a 5/10. In the long run, you’ll be spending more per click than necessary. Why? Because Google’s business is to give searchers the best experience possible. It’s a simple equation really: crummy ad = no click throughs = no repeat business = bad for business.
Also don’t forget your landing pages. Sending prospects hot off an ad to your home page is a golden opportunity wasted. Create something special that focuses on one call to action that fills your sales funnel and gives you a chance to convert them via an email or phone call.
Measure Twice then Measure Again
One of the cool features of Google’s new Active View is that it provides additional measurement. Since you’re plunking down hard-earned money for Adwords, you’ll want to know whether potential customers actually saw your ad. In the advertising biz this is called impressions. They’re working on Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation, an organization dedicated to ethical criteria for media audience measurement services. Ugly website alert! MRC may play in the online media arena, but their website is truly nauseating.
We’re looking forward to brand impact insights that Google will add to Adwords. It will help connect the dots in optimizing ads as it takes into consideration how long a prospect spent on the ad before making a decision.
In the meantime, what valuable lessons have you learned in managing your Search Engine marketing efforts?
How can we help?
Need help deciphering your Google Adwords account? Wish you had ads that filled your sales funnel to its tippy-top?
We are the spectrum group, and we offer strategic and tactical consulting so you can monetize your online presence. Call us for a complimentary 30-minute consultation to discuss your email marketing strategies and website content.
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